BARCELONA, SPAIN - JUNE 01: Joe Duplantier of Gojira performs in concert during day 2 of Primavera ... [+]
To put it simply, there are few bands in the heavy music scene that have garnered the same level of critical praise as the french metal outfit, Gojira. The band’s 2016 masterpiece, MAGMA, earned them two Grammy nominations in addition to the #1 spot on Billboard’s Hard Rock Album Chart, putting them as the first French band to hold the #1 position on that particular chart. Since then, Gojira have played a litany of shows in support of MAGMA, from headlining festivals to touring alongside metal’s biggest names, i.e. Metallica, Slayer, and Slipknot.
Overall, the Success from Gojira’s last record has easily positioned their next musical endeavor as one of 2020's most anticipated metal albums. While there’s no word on an album name or exact release date, Gojira have officially released brand a new single and animated music video entitled, “Another World.”
Gojira’s Joe Duplantier (Vocals, Guitar, and Producer) has commented, “It is with great excitement that we’re presenting our new track ‘Another World.’ Ferdinand Magellan once said: ‘It is with an iron will that we’ll embark on the most daring of all endeavors, to meet the shadowy future without fear and conquer the unknown.’ Is humanity doomed, or will we survive nature’s wrath? Take a glimpse into our shadowy future by watching our take on 1968’s Planet Of The Apes… Another World!”
“Another World” showcases many of the atmospheric and melodic elements that Gojira played with on 2016’s MAGMA, but this new single seems to wrap everything together in a heavier and more hypnotic musical package, particularly in its production. Many longtime Gojira fans even criticized the band for having the atmospheric and melodic elements on MAGMA and preferred the band’s more straight-to-the-point heavy songwriting. However, after MAGMA and now “Another World,” I think Gojira’s arc as a metal band couldn’t be cleaner. Their current sound is so beautifully crossed between their death, progressive, and post-metal roots, but with a more widespread appeal from the hooky songwriting and electrifying production.
In fact, if there’s a band that’s to take metal or extreme music to a new commercial height, it’d be Gojira. The band’s revamped sound on MAGMA was overall a crowd-pleaser, but more importantly, it reeled in a horde of new fans. Their next album has the potential to do the same but to an even greater effect, and based on the presentation and delivery of their new single the odds are very much in Gojira’s favor.
However, the most drastically different thing with Gojira in 2020 is their music video. “Another World’s” animated music video boasts a widely different visual approach than any of the band’s past videos, and the use of bright fluorescent colors in contrast to Gojira’s dark lyrics is something entirely new for the band. Also, I can’t help but wonder if the next record will be a concept album. Joe’s comments on the video, specifically referring to it as the band’s “take on 1968’s Planet Of The Apes… Another World,” as well as the unique direction of the video itself, possibly points to an entire concept album and/or music video series?
